堪培拉是澳大利亞的首都，位于澳大利亞山脈區(qū)的開闊谷地上，位于澳大利亞東南部。
東經(jīng)149°07′，南緯35°17′，面積2395平方公里，人口36.8萬，海拔760米。莫朗格洛河橫市區(qū)，西流入馬蘭比吉河。原為牧羊地，1913年按規(guī)劃始建，1927年聯(lián)邦政府從墨爾本遷此。全國政治中心。以銀行、飯店和公共服務業(yè)為主要經(jīng)濟部門。有鐵路連接各大城市。有澳大利亞國立大學（連續(xù)多年澳大利亞大學排名第1位[1-2] )、堪培拉大學和國立圖書館。市區(qū)西南有宇宙航行跟蹤站。旅游業(yè)甚盛。氣候溫和，四季分明，全年降雨量平均，四季都有陽光普照的日子。 作為澳大利亞政治中心，堪培拉城內(nèi)建有澳大利亞國會大廈、澳大利亞高等法院和眾多其他政府部門與外交機關。它也是許多全國性社會和文化機構的所在地，例如澳大利亞戰(zhàn)爭紀念館、澳大利亞國立大學、澳大利亞體育學會、澳大利亞國立美術館、澳大利亞國立博物館及澳大利亞國家圖書館。澳大利亞軍隊總部，以及主要軍事教育機構鄧特倫皇家軍事學院和澳大利亞國防學院也設在堪培拉。 二次大戰(zhàn)結束后，在總理羅伯特·孟席斯倡議下，國家首都發(fā)展委員會成立、握有執(zhí)行權力，堪培拉開始以新興首都之姿蓬勃發(fā)展。Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital". Although the growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a thriving city after World War II.As the seat of the government of Australia, Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court of Australia and numerous government departments and agencies. It is also the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Australian War Memorial, National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia and the National Library of Australia. The federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross State Product and is the largest single employer in Canberra.
